“19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to tthe dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for ua lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to aa debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”

The Evidence of God

“19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

All men were born with the same basic needs: Food, water, clothing, shelter. And a God! We will all serve something. For most unfortunately it is themselves but we have all heard this. But I ask why is religion such a huge part of our world? In the past every nation that was not connected and had no form of communication had a religious system. Why? Because man has to believe something. Through creation of nature his evidence is made known.

NO ONE IS WITHOUT EXCUSE.

Can anyone think of anything in nature that points to God? Or has anyone seen anything in nature that was just a “wow” moment?

Man’s Rejection

“21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”

Where is scripture do we see this? The Fall in Genesis 3:1-7. This is the exact wording God uses in creation. Man, birds, and creeping things.

How did this exchange happen and pay attention to the wording. This act is the start of our depravity.

They did not honor God.

They did not give thanks to him.

They became futile in their thinking.

Their foolish hearts were darkened Note it was foolish before it was darkened.

Claiming wisdom, they became foolish how do we see this in the fall of man?

They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling…, How did this happen?

God’s Response

Paul gives us 3 ways of God’s response to this action.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

How was this seen in Genesis 3?

They dishonored bodies among themselves because they {they were both deceived by the serpent} Avoiding the instructions God had given them. They obeyed that snake rather than God!

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

After the fall depravity grew darker and darker. Ever turned off the light in a room and had the glare still in your eyes. I’d imagine it was similar in the nature of it. They were around Light for so long that once they were in darkness the glare of God’s Glory was still present. As time grew like all things on this new earth, things started to decay. This truly shares the depth of how dark and lost we are with out Christ.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”

Greek word for debased/depraved adokimos- means not standing the test. Commonly used for metals that were rejected by refiners because of impurities.

The natural man denies God and can not endure God, therefore they can’t receive God. Even though He has been revealed to him.

Imagine the evil that is in the world, a depraved mind is the source of that. And we are all born with that mind. 2 timothy 4:3 a time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. Apart from Christ we can not endure the doctrine of scripture.

0: Examine the depravity of man in Romans 1:24-28. With the permission of your parents, : ) look up current events (News). Find an article and write how that article is a picture of God giving men up to ungodliness. This will be turned in next week. I’d encourage you guys to this because this will give you a foundation for viewing the world in a Biblical perspective.

Truly understanding the placement of this verse gives it a special meaning that most overlook. Paul had just finished his greetings to the Roman Church, a group of Christians he had yet to meet. We have discussed some things Paul has informed the reader of like being a bondservant, an apostle, and his care for those that are in Rome. Now he is saying “I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL!”

Nero was the anti-christian leader of Rome at this time. This was important for them to hear. Rome was crowded with philosophy and esteemed teachings of enlightenment drenched in a wickedness that could not have been far off from the evil that doomed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Nero was a true hater of Christ and His followers. He was named “The first persecutor of Christians”, by early Christian writers like Tertullian and Lactantius. Paul is saying He is not ashamed of the Gospel as an introduction point, an instructional point, and a climactic point-meaning he is building a foundation for introducing the power of the GOSPEL!

Why is it important that Christians not be ashamed of the Gospel?

If we are ashamed of the Gospel, we are ashamed of Christ.

A definition of “Ashamed” is regretful. How can we who claim Christ be regretful.

Matthew 10:33 & 2 Timothy 2:12- These verse states the outcome of those who deny Christ.

ILLUSTRATION- If take a piece of white chalk and draw a circle around a goose, it will not leave the circle for fear of crossing the white mark. Another example is, If you go by certain areas of Belton you will see pastures with lots of cattle that do not have fences. But they have small grates for the fence line. Cows will not cross where they can see the bottom.

Like the goose and the cow it seem very foolish to be afraid of a white line or a small ditch with a grate over it but this fear contains these animals with ease. What are some things that make us ashamed of the Gospel?

Personal Example- At work I’m picked on by most of the guys there because of how I responded to two co-workers. Once was I was on break and a guy held up a cell phone and yelled , “Hey look!” I looked just out of reaction and it was a video of a girl in a bathing suit. I knew where it was heading and I turned my head and yelled at the guy, “If you want to cheat on your wife that your business, but I’m not going to sin against God and my wife. You claim Christ but you know nothing of Him!” This was probably 7-8 months ago. The other instance happened earlier this week. A different shoved his phone in front of my face and said, “lookey lookey !” I could just see a picture of a girl in her bathing suit. I grabbed his phone, and told him sternly, “If I have to grab this phone again I’m going to break it.” He saw the seriousness in my face, and tried to ease the awkward tension by laughing it off. I told him, “I wasn’t amused.” He told me I was over reacting. I’ve had talks with this guy before about his faith- He was catholic. I told him he should be ashamed of himself, and asked if I were to insult his wife in public what would he do. He said, “ I would knock the guy out.” I responded, “How can it be an overreaction for me to break your phone for disrespecting my wife, and you get to knock a guy out?” He said ,”God said it’s okay if I look at pictures as long as I don’t actually cheat on my wife. You take this stuff too serious” I responded, “we shall see on judgment day.” Got up and walked away.

For [the Gospel] is the power of God (v.16).

The Gospel of the power of God for Salvation. To first understand how it is used for salvation let us look at what the power of God is.

The Gospel is the power of God.

What are some examples of God’s power seen in the Bible?

Creation

The Flood

Sodom and Gomorrah

His Sovereign nature seen in the life of Joseph

The Plagues of Egypt

Parting the Red Sea

His Presence alone- As seen in the life of Moses and the Ark of the Covenant.

The Gospel- The birth, life, death, resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 22:29- Jesus responds to the Sadducees by saying you do not understand Scripture nor the power of God. Having a true understanding of the Scriptures, particularly the Gospel, is to also understand the Power of God. To some extent- We can not fully know the power God has other than saying He is All powerful, and even that doesn’t give him enough credit.

When it says the Gospel is the power of God for Salvation. To help understand it – let’s rephrase it- Jesus is the power of God for salvation.

For Salvation (v. 16)

This is the greatest display of God’s power– to reunite sinful man to Himself once again through Jesus.

God came in the form as man, lived the life as a man, died as a man. But He was still God! Jesus was the flesh of God!

His plan is that all might be saved ( 1 timothy 2:4) to those who believe- to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Salvation has no discrimination on nationality, skin color, or social class. Chronologically It was the Jews first because they are his Chosen people through whom he ordained salvation to come. But now that Christ has fulfilled the law, the gentiles are now grafted into the Chosen of God!

ALL WHO BELIEVE MAY BE SAVED. ONLY THOSE WHO TRULY BELIEVE WILL BE. Only those who truly believe were chosen. All who are chosen will be Saved.

For in [the Gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; because it is written the righteous shall live by faith (v.17).

Let’s play a little word game. Are there any man on their own, other than Christ, that has ever existed that is righteous? NO! Romans 3:10- There is none righteous.

Let’s look at Faith– What role does Faith play in salvation? Faith activates the divine power that brings salvation, and in that sovereign act the righteousness of God is revealed. NOTE: Gen 15:6- Abraham believed and it was reckoned to Him as righteousness.

So faith activates the righteousness, but what activates the faith?

Ephesians 2:8- By GRACE you have been SAVED through FAITH!

Hebrew 5:9- Jesus Christ our Lord is the Source of our salvation. Which means- If Salvation only comes by Faith, and Salvation comes from Christ, then Faith comes from Christ. How can that be, that doesn’t make sense? BY GRACE!

It’s purely by grace because you can only come to God and have faith in Him unless the Father draws you John 6:44

So how then is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith? How can the righteous live by faith if there are no righteous people?

ANSWER- DAILY DOUBLE! The Gospel is the power of God for salvation, for in the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith because the righteous shall live by faith – this only points to a supreme GOD who has a supreme plan. Because (FOCUS TIME) Applying what we learned earlier- We know that to say the righteous shall live by faith = When faith is placed in Christ that activates the divine power that declares them righteous which brings salvation, which only comes Christ, the original point of Faith. All this is done by Grace, because you can only have faith in Christ unless God allows you to.

If someone claims to be a Christian- then they are a righteous person, if they are a righteous person, they shall live by the faith in which they placed in Christ. If they live by faith they should have a life that looks different than those not of the faith(Non believers)

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (v.18).

What does this have to do with the Gospel?

This is the outcome of those who deny the Gospel. The thought of a wrathful God is against the seemingly moral god men create in their minds.

I saw a post by an old friend it said, “Why are so many people afraid of change, when they are so content being caterpillars in their cocoons they are missing out on their wings so they can fly.” I responded- “If the change is unblical the wings can send you straight to hell.” He deleted it, and we are currently talking about the meaning of life and God.

Note the wording- the wrath of God is “revealed”. That is a word of already being there. Like revealing a new car, or revealing the new Samsung 14251xsf plum berry IXO plus. The wrath is there we have seen in revealed in scripture on several occasions.

God’s wrath is awaiting to be revealed on the unrighteous who suppress the truth.

There isn’t anything you have to do to be unrighteous. Being born is enough. But a dead giveaway is if you deny Christ you are unrighteous. Denying Christ is denying the Gospel.

DENYING THE GOSPEL REVEALS THE WRATH OF GOD!

In closing let us take a quick look at The Power of the Gospel.

it saves (v.16)

It reveals the righteousness of God (v.17).

It makes possible a life of faith (v.17).

It delivers from the wrath of God (v.18).

PRO CHALLENGE:

P: PRAY 5 minutes a day. You choose when.

R: READ ROMANS 1

O: OBEY- Examine your life and write out your testimony. Be specific. Then once you write it out. Look over it.

– See if you can see a specific point in time where God opened your eyes to your need for Him.

-Was Jesus a part of it, or was it something else…peer pressure, wanted to impress a girl/boy, seemed like the right thing to do, etc… (THIS IS A CRUCIAL PART!)

-After you became a Christian is there a changed life- This will look different for different people but there should be a change. Obeyed parents more, didn’t stab brothers in the arm anymore, stopped cussing, etc… These are all evidences that the Holy Spirit is done a work in you and is doing a work in you.

-If this exercise is troubling to you meaning: You can’t think of anything, or you realize that you really don’t view Jesus that way. Please message, call, text Jeff, Lisa, myself, Paris, or Sydney.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

For God, Whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you,

always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.

For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established:

that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

8 ways Christians should view other Christians- Based on the Life of Paul

Today we are going to study Paul and how he viewed other Christian’s. We see a clear picture of this as he concludes his greeting to the Romans.

First question is why study how Paul viewed Christians?

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:1-“Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” This is why we should study Paul’s actions. Christ gave a life example but His word gives an account that Paul was imitating Christ. So Paul commanding imitate me as I imitate Christ is a command from the Lord. Because the Bible is God’s Authoritative Word.

1.We should be thankful for other Christians

8) First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

Paul is thankful for all of God’s people. Not just some

not showing favoritism to those are in the body of Christ.

We have a different love for a non-believer and a believer. I deeper love. A love that grows and gives back. Among the love for a non-believer, it is rich but stays on a surface level. The Love grows by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit but the relationship will stay surface level until the Lord opens that person’s eyes to the truth.

Paul was thankful that their faith was being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

If we are to have a sincere Christ-like Love we must have a sincere Christ-like Faith! The Love is a fruit of our relationship with Christ. If we don’t spend time in God’s word or praying our relationship with God will become dull and ineffective….or fruitless. So we must note what Paul was thankful for.

Paul was thankful that their faith was being proclaimed throughout the whole World. This made Paul happy that the Church in Rome was growing. So he was thankful.

2. We should be Concerned for other Christians

9-10a) For God, Whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, in my prayers

Paul had never met the Christians at Rome. This is why the introduction is so personal and revealing of Paul.

Earlier he wanted them to know he was a bondservant, an apostle who was set apart for the Gospel. Now he is revealing more about himself.

Nero was the Ruler of Rome and he wasn’t a very pro-Christian kind of guy. If there was any church that needed Paul’s prayers it was this church.

Sadly this holds very little weight in our culture. I think it is due to the large amount of ineffective Christians in our country that talk the talk and say all the right things but do not live it out. Remember the Elementary School shooting in newton, CT. Obama made the statement, “our prayers go out to the families of newtown”. But we studied in 1 john that ineffective Christians pray ineffective prayers. Post a trajedy on Facebook and see how many” I’m praying for you” comments you get. Then look at each individual one and see what their posts looks like. Most are selfish prideful post that only uplift themselves and in no way shape or form glorify God. Paul wasn’t giving one of these “PRAYING FOR YA!” He was genuinely spending time praying for the church of Rome! This is why we are doing the prayer challenge each week, because if you can’t pray for a few minutes a day, how can you mature as a Christian?

3. We should be willing to Spend time with Christians

10b) , if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.

Paul has already told them that he was thankful for them, that he was praying for them and now that he was coming to see them. By the wording it shows that he was excited about coming to see him. There is a deeper application to this passage as you grow in your maturity as it pertains to leading others. But now there is still plenty of applicable content.

-How often do you attend church?

-How often do you attend bible studies?

I have only been going to the Wednesday Youth Service for a few weeks now and I can think of two instances where nearly the entire youth bailed on church to dance and to watch a movie. The response is well they were spending time together. If it is not in a biblical environment it holds little value. Skipping out on church to dance shows the seriousness you have for your walk with Christ. Skipping out on church to watch a Disney movie shows you that you would rather watch some little princess become a frog or a witch than to learn and talk about GOD’S WORD! Paul was excited to spend time with God’s people because he knew what was at stake!

Paul was believed to be in Corinth when he wrote this letter. He was going to walk 720 miles. Don’t take for granted spending time with God’s people! Greg Wright lives in Fountain Inn. That’s about 40-45 min and he is here ever week, because he values spending time with God’s people!

4. We should be willing to invest in and receive from other Christians

11) For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established:

There are two main types of transactions regarding communication taken from bank terminology.

Deposits: (The minister) this is when you are investing toward that person ( Encouragement, serving, teaching, etc…)

Withdrawals(the ministered) this is when you are receiving from someone.

Paul is clearly excited about investing some spiritual gift to you, that they may be established.

There are two applications here:

We should be willing to invest in other Christians with time, love, service

We should be willing to receive other Christians correction, love, service, time.

5. We should be encouraged by other Christians faith

12) that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

How can other Christians faith encourage us?

-The Lord can use it to reveal an area of weakness in our own life (Tim Tebow giving God the Glory)

For instance, Paul realized the power of an effective Biblical community. In our generation even among the main stream Christian circles, you can be ridiculed for making a radical sacrifice for the Lord. Like throwing away hundreds of dollars of DVD’s, Video Games, TV’s…. which is sad. Because we should see someone doing that and be encouraging toward them telling them how much more focused they are going to be for the Lord’s Work. Instead of laughing under your breath and saying, “That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?” We can not be encouraged together unless we are first encouraging.

6. We should want to build relationships with other Christians

13) I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.

Paul wanted to ensure the Roman church that his delay was not because of lack of interest but of outside circumstances that were out of his control. But Paul was again ensuring this church that he wanted to come and bear fruit among them.

The application here is that we should be excited about building and strengthening relationships with other believers. We should never look at a fellowship with another believer as a drag, because God is pleased when His adopted children not only grow closer together in love, but are doing things together that brings fruit. You can not grow closer in the Lord to your fellow Christian if you are not doing fruitful things.

-Video games can be fruitful- You can use it as a pass time to communicate. But note the type of game does affect the effectiveness of that time. Make sure the conversations stay guided. Stray from idle talk.

7. We should not discriminate among other Christians

14) I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

This word obligation can also be translated “Debtor”. Paul was in debt to the Greeks and the barbarians. Not for anything they did but for what Christ did. He realized his purpose the Lord had given him and he did not let personal preference hinder his ministry. Paul was an esteemed accomplished Hebrew, a Pharisee. I’m sure there were many people he ran into while doing the Lord’s work that he didn’t care too much for or rubbed him the wrong way. But he was a obligated to them, through Christ!

Christ has paid too high a price for use to snarl our noses at other people, because they stink. Or they talk funny. Or they get on our nerves.

8. We should commit to other Christians

15) So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

This is the closing statement for his introduction to the Roman church. For my part- Paul is ensuring his commitment to them. That he is eager to preach the gospel. Early he said obligated, now he is saying eager. This is what made Paul so special. Paul is the most transparent author in the new testament. This shows that this obligation was not out of duty or a feeling of having to…but it was out of love. Because He is eager to preach the gospel because He is committed to Christ, therefore He is committed to other Christians.

We are given the same call. We are to commit to other Christians. Not out of duty but out of love. What does it look like when we commit to each other? We put others before ourselves. Not only do we put their needs above ours, but we recognize their needs sometimes before they do; and Paul knew that the Romans needed to hear sound doctrine. He was excited to preach them the Gospel. As Paul committed to the Church in Rome we should use this example and commit to each other!

Overview

1.We should be thankful for other Christians

2. We should be Concerned for other Christians

3. We should be willing to Spend time with Christians

4. We should be willing to invest in and receive from other Christians

5. We should be encouraged by other Christians faith

6. We should want to build relationships with other Christians

7. We should not discriminate among other Christians

8. We should commit to other Christians

P: Pray 4 minutes a day. You choose when

R: Read Romans 1

O: Apply one of these views of Christians to your life each day. Don’t repeat!

We should be thankful for other Christians

2. We should be Concerned for other Christians

3. We should be willing to spend time with Christians

4. We should be willing to invest in and receive from other Christians

3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as [e]saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Greetings: 1st part Paul identified his identity, his sacrifice, and his purpose.

This is the 2nd part of the greetings.

The identity, sacrifice, and purpose of Christ.

The Identity of Christ

3) Concerning His son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4) who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.

He is the Son of God v.3,4

The Person: Born of a descendant of David according to the flesh v. 3

The first thing we can note that Jesus is royalty Born from a Royal blood line. How is this important relating to the identity of Christ? Genealogies were of very importance in the time Jesus was on the earth. They weren’t met with the same negative boredom as they are today.

Being a descendant of David was respected in Jewish culture. Matthew 1:1. You can’t argue genealogies. They are statements of fact that is why genealogies are important in the Old Testament because we know that these people existed. It gives credentials to the story.

Jesus was flesh and blood because flesh and blood was required to satisfy God’s wrath toward sin.

The God: Declared the Son of God. v.3,4

John 17:1,5,21

Jesus – because he was the human vessel that God used to save people from their Sin.

Christ- because He has been anointed by God as King and Priest

Our Lord- Because He is God and is the sovereign ruler of the universe.

Jesus is both God and Man. This is why Paul includes this in the greetings part of the letter. Because it is one of the first things that need to be mentioned regarding Jesus Christ! He had all the power of God dwelling with a human body.

His Sacrifice and Purpose:

Through the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross we can claim His life, and receive power through the Holy Spirit to obey God’s word and grace can be applied all because of the sacrifice of Christ.

Because Jesus’ sacrifice was His purpose, it opens up the purpose for our lives today.

5) Through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles

Through (Jesus) we have received grace and apostleship to bring about obedience of Faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake.

It is impossible to attain grace or obey God without Jesus Christ being Lord and Savior over your Life. A person claiming to be in Christ and their life is utter disobedience is living a complete lie!

5c) for his name’s sake

Don’t be deceived into thinking that you are the reason Christ Came! John 3:16 God did send his Son to save the world and does not wish for any person to perish. @ 2 Peter 3:9 It isn’t for man, the entire purpose of Christ and God’s plan for humanity is all wrapped up into (FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE) Man’s salvation is a by-product of God’s Grace. The main focus is to display God’s Glory!

6) Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

{Because of Jesus} you also are the called of Jesus Christ. (John 10:25-30, Ephesians 1:3-8)

Our Response:

7) To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints; Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord is the name God is referred to most often in Scripture. This reveals his sovereign nature of everything. If our life is not in obedience to His word, we are saying with our life that you are not Lord.

This is the closing statement of the greeting in which Paul is addressing the Romans. It is a statement of promise and reward to those who are beloved of God and called as saints. To them Peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.

If a person does not obey God’s word, and has a life that looks exactly like the world this verse is not for them, because God is not their Father, and Jesus is not their Christ or Lord.

How we act depicts what we believe.

Romans 10:9-10- Notice the two distinctions of what happens when you confess with your mouth, and when believe with your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and God raised him from the dead.

Heart- brings about righteousness.

Mouth- brings about salvation.

The two are one! Without a heart that believes in Christ and his work righteousness will not follow because the power of Christ does not dwell within you.

Believing in your heart the work of Christ but not having the boldness to declare he is Jesus Christ our Lord, neglects the possibilities of you being a Christian.

Called as saints; Note how Paul emphasizes the called in Ephesians 4:1.

Jesus Christ can not receive enough praise for the life He lived and His sacrifice. As it is important to realize this, do not be hypocritical toward this. Do not claim Christ with your mouth and deny him with your life.

PRO CHALLENGE:

P- Pray 3 minutes a day. You choose when that is.

R- Read Romans 1:8-15

O- Using a journal answer these 3 question: What is Obedience? Why is Obedience important? Am I obeying God’s Word?